Friday, March 28, 2008

My buddy Ryan happened to be in town from Grenada, Spain so what better reason to get together with our pals and drink red wine. It was great to see everyone, that I haven't seen in ages! Scott and Heidi back from England, Tara and Mark moving to France, Suzy 'with a zee' to graduate with her Masters in May, Sara and Victor pregnant and her cupcakes to be debuted on Martha Stewart (actual cupcakes, get your mind out of the gutter Kevin!), everyone's kiddos getting so big, and Kevin actually stayed awake until 10 PM!! Thanks to Sauce for letting us crash her humble abode and of course for the laughs and the memories! Until next time....

Good to see ya' Big Ry!

Scotty loves his chicken.

James and Kevin (Kev still holding his head up)

Ry and Mark (Ry trying his hardest not to show his nostrils in the pic)

Monday, March 24, 2008

Happy Birthday to the greatest Mom ever!! I can't believe you are 60 years young! It seems like only yesterday you were making us salmon patties and waxed beans for dinner! (Who eats waxed beans??) Here's to talking too loud, laughing too hard, and eating way too much! But most importantly, here's to you! See you at The French Laundry for your 70th!

Friday, March 21, 2008

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

There is so much to do in Alaska! It's like if you picked up Colorado, and put it by the ocean. Everyone walking around town in their down vests and fingerless gloves. The people are also really great...especially the customers I have been working with. The first words out of their mouth were, "Nice to meet you, do you golf? Do you fish?" Their IT guy mountain bikes everywhere, their Compliance Director has a sled dog team, and they even have a competitive skeet shooting team. A little different than our Friday night bocce league. The locals are very proud of their state, and I can see why. It's pretty brisk up here at 29 deg. but a brilliant Swede once told me, "there is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothes."

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

While Peter is working in sunny L.A. (sunny, if the sun breaks through the smog), I am off to Alaska. Yes, we are still running in opposite directions just hanging on until April when we will be sipping margaritas on the beaches of Playa del Carmen for my sister's pending nuptials. I am not too excited about the weather forecast that awaits me in Anchorage. It is never too encouraging when there is a link giving suggestions on how to "escape the cold". I am just going to eat my weight in salmon, with a side of crab legs. The word on the street is that in Alaska, they serve crab legs like they are french fries. See you at the airport....

Friday, March 14, 2008

They had to take a cab due to some missing keys and an unsuccessful trash expedition.

My sister and I decided to surprise our Mom for her 60th birthday. We packed her a bag, showed up at her office and took her straight to the airport for a fun food and wine filled adventure in Napa. Her best friend since kindergarten, Peggy, (Auntie Peggy to us) also came out this way (again, unbeknownst to Mom) to join in the festivities. It has been quite an adventure just getting everyone in the same place at the same time....delayed flights, a lost cell phone, a missing pair of house keys and a journey digging through the trash at 1:00 am, but everyone made it, and the fun hasn't even begun! I can't wait!

Wednesday, March 12, 2008

Pedro is running around Toronto and Halifax again this week, so I was left to my own devices, while I anxiously await his return home. So, last night EP treated Brett and I to a private wine barrel tasting. With EP's cool new job selling wine barrels, she gets to bring home wine samples, and sometimes, she needs help with her work. It is kind of like when I used to help my friend Brandy grade her student's papers, but way better! (Sorry Brandy.) She also has this cool kit that helps train your nose to pick up different aromas in wine. We picked 15 different aromas (out of 52) and did a 'blind sniffing' and of course made a competition out of it. It seems EP's training is sinking in, because she schooled us, but I wasn't too far behind. Oddly enough, the more wine I drank, the more difficult it became to determine the aroma. However, it did not impact the taste of the wine, as that went down quite smoothly. Pedro is now a class behind, since Brett and I have passed on to the next level, although we are still waiting for our certificates.

Our fearless leader taking notes.

The nose knows.

It's all in the wrist. Or a good glass.

The bounty

The aftermath

And nothing tops off a good wine tasting like a mean tamale with a dash of Emeril's.

Saturday, March 8, 2008

We headed down to Half Moon Bay for some lunch and some fun in the sun in celebration of actually being in the same place at the same time. It was a great day that would not be tainted by some heavy fog and a pretty weak lunch at 'the trap' as I like to call it. I am not going to bore you with the details of steamed mussels that had great potential but just didn't cut it, and a shrimp sandwich that we had high hopes for, again leaving us wanting something more. Once again, our theory rings true: if the restaurant is on the water, it is literally a trap. Show me the place off the beaten path, down an alley, with lots of locals anytime. People get sucked in by the view to the point that they forget they are eating crappy food.

The interior decor. Should have probably been our first clue.

We had such high hopes for these babies. Not so much.

P. getting after it.

If you ever find yourself in HMB, opt for the brewing co. across the street. They brew up a mean batch of Mavericks, and I guarantee you the only lipstick on your glass will be your own. Despite the weak vittles, we had a great day and some beautiful weather, that was complete with a tasty latte for the journey back home.

Friday, March 7, 2008

Well, we are down 0-2, but Lost Balls put up a good fight against Boccelism. It was a huge turnout for Friday night bocce, lots of people, wine, cheese, and even girl scout cookies! Thanks Bob! We are really going to need to get our act together if we want to make it to the finals, and more importantly, have a spot in the 4th of July parade! We capped off the evening with a stop at the Sausalito Cruising Club. I recommend the bean dip only if you have missed dinner and have had a couple of beers. Until next week.....

Wednesday, March 5, 2008

Quite a whirlwind in Sin City...a little work, a delicious meal, and a mild beating in Blackjack. I only lost $40 bucks, and maybe a little dignity. 'Charles the Destroyer', as I liked to call him, was just not coughing up the cards. It is time to leave this crazy desert and head back home.

Tuesday, March 4, 2008

At the airport in San Diego, a frustrated father was trying to call his small toddler who was running wild in security to come back to him. He kept yelling, "Marco! Marco!" As I walked by, I said, "Polo." He didn't seem to think it was as funny as I did.

Saturday, March 1, 2008

Well, last night marked the first match of the fall bocce league, and the last match of the Shuffle Scuffle. It seemed to get pretty dark rather quickly which always makes it a little more challenging on the bocce court. Sadly, we lost our first bocce match, (probably because Pedro is off running around in Halifax and didn't pull us through with his wicked long ball skills. Hurry home Monkey!) but Double Hangars (EP and myself) took out The Hobos at Smitty's, knocking them out of the running for 3rd place in the Shuffle Scuffle. SWA (Peter and Brett's team) also had a solid win and Eeps really stepped up to the plate on behalf of Pedro. Hats off to Motted Peat for pulling off another undefeated season. Bastards! The highlight for me was actually our midnight run to In-n-Out for some burgers and fries that were devoured in Big Blue right in the parking lot.

Decisions, decisions.....

Some high school boys in line behind us enjoying making fun of us (okay, me.)

What's shakin'??

What's up with this??

We thought this would be a fun way to stay in touch with our family and friends. We encourage you to visit often, comment with wild abandon, and live large. While we are spread out all over several different countries, know that we think of you often and miss you terribly. Until next time.....